Measuring the health of Mt. Tam

Maintaining a healthy, vibrant and diverse Mt. Tam begins with understanding how key ecological resources are faring, and how we can better care for this iconic and beloved place.

One Tam partners and Bay Area scientists have come together to try to answer the question: How healthy are Mt. Tam's natural resources?

Serpentine Barren Endemics

Photo by Rachel Kesel/One Tam

Maritime Chaparral

Photo by Andrea Williams/MMWD

Rare Plant Species

What We Know

Over 40 rare plants are currently known from within the One Tam area of focus. The majority of these fall into a few community types, and certain suites of species were chosen to indicate the status of those communities.

Approximately half the rare plants (by both number of taxa and number of populations) are serpentine endemics. Rare plants within the serpentine barrens plant community were sorted into “relatively common” and “relatively uncommon” to measure both biodiversity and the health of open-canopy serpentine types. The part of Mt. Tam that receives a marine influence (in the form of summer fog) contains maritime chaparral, which is also associated with several special status plants.

Learn more about these rich plant communities through the links above.